Panoramic view of a red mangrove forest, breeding ground for a diverse group of fish, shellfish, and other wildlife.

Mangroves, the coastal equivalent to rain forests, provide homes
for an amazing range of plant and animal life, support the
livelihood of local communities, and defend the coast from erosion
and storms. The single greatest threat to mangroves worldwide is
shrimp farming. July 26th marks the first International Day of the
Mangroves, when fisher-folk from all over the world will
demonstrate for mangrove conservation and against the shrimp
industry.

Previously
a luxury item only consumed during certain periods of the year,
shrimp is now turning into an everyday product. Consumers in the
US, Japan, and the European Union--the main importers--are often
not aware of the destruction that lies behind one of their
favourite dishes. While the price of shrimp and prawns goes down
for consumers, the cost to people in producing countries continues
to rise.

Shrimp
farming requires the clear-cut of mangroves to build ponds. Once
the mangroves are ripped out, the coast is rendered unstable and
many creatures lose their habitat. Fish catches decline and
ecosystems are knocked out of balance. The ponds are treated with
antibiotics, pesticides, and fish-feeds--the toxic mix often dumped
into the surrounding land or waterways. Local communities depend on
this coastal ecology for their food and livelihood. In addition to
the loss of biodiversity, the destruction of mangrove areas also
means the loss of access for these coastal communities to their
only source of income.

Thirty percent of the shrimp and prawns produced worldwide came
from aquaculture in 2001, and the share continues to grow. As
demand for shrimp increases, so will the drive of the shrimp
industry and the destruction of the mangroves. About 35 percent of
mangroves worldwide have been lost in the last 20 years.

International Day of the Mangroves

On
July 26th, fisher-folk from all over the world will demonstrate for
mangrove conservation and against the shrimp farming industry. They
will form small flotillas, calling attention to the expansion of
the industry and the resulting destruction of their livelihoods.
Actions are planned in over a dozen countries, including Brazil,
Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Bangladesh, India,
Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Kenya,
Nigeria, Germany, and the US. Until this year, the 26th had been a
commemoration day just in Ecuador. This is the first year it
becomes an international day of action.

July 26th holds existing significance for the movement in Latin
America. On July 26, 1998, the ancestral users of the Ecuadorian
mangroves joined in an action to re-establish the mangrove dynamics
in an illegal shrimp pond. Working with the support of various
organisations from Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia and the US, along
with the crew of the Rainbow Warrior, the communities denounced the
actual costs of shrimp consumption.

That same day, the National Coordinator in Defence of the
Mangroves in Ecuador was created. A public statement delivered to
the National Authorities claimed to stop mangrove destruction and
promoted handover of the forests to the organised grass-root
communities.

In 1999 the government passed an Executive Decree that forbids
any attempt to destroy the Ecuadorian mangroves and opens the
possibility for the community concessions in mangrove areas. The
laws are constantly broken by powerful shrimp industrials, but the
empowerment of local residents is one of our main strengths to
protect the environment.

July 26th also commemorates the day in 1998 when a Greenpeace
activist from Micronesia, Hayhow Daniel Nanoto, died of a heart
attack while involved in a massive protest action led by FUNDECOL
and Greenpeace. During this action the local community of Muisne
joined us in dismantling an illegally placed shrimp pond in an
attempt to restore the damaged zone back to its former state as a
mangrove forest.

The global protests will be the beginning of a stronger
international network of small-scale fisher organisations and
non-governmental organisations against the shrimp industry. The
flotillas will be formed near cities and towns where industrial
shrimp farming and mangrove loss are problems.